One aftermath of the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime is the "embarrassment", for want of a better word, that those who have been given his name feel.
Saddam Hussein al-Majid, like many others with similar names, is now trying to change his.
He is now trying to avoid paying with his life for holding this name. He wants to change the first name on his birth certificate to Sajad, favored by Shiites. Mr Hussein, a Shiite Arab, is aware that militiamen from his own sect might assume he belonged to the former ruling Sunni Arab minority.
Iraq's current near civil war, so vehemently denied by the UK and US, is forcing many Iraqis to eradicate their names.
With the sectarian violence rising, Iraqis fear that the name on an identification card, passport or other document could become an instant death sentence if seen by the wrong people.
How can anyone claim that this country is not falling apart, when ordinary people have to hide their own names in shame and fear?
So much for "mission accomplished".
